Search Results for: "bernier"

Stem cell therapy has emerged as one of the most promising approaches in the fight to end blindness, and Dr. Gilbert Bernier’s research has played an enormous role in pushing the field forward. By developing new techniques to turn induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into sheets of cone photoreceptors, Dr. Bernier and his team are…

Excitement abounds for the solar eclipse this Monday, August 21, when the moon will briefly pass between the Sun and the Earth. So-called “total eclipses” such as Monday’s offer a rare opportunity to view the full majesty of our most visible celestial neighbours, if only briefly. But if eclipse-gazing is on your schedule, it’s important…

So far this year, the pace of vision research has been sizzling! To celebrate the arrival of sizzling weather, we asked the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) staff to share their favourite FFB science stories from the archives. Kick back, relax, and enjoy our top 10 list of vision health tips, science stories, and sight-saving science…

Stem cells are frequently in the news. At the FFB, we love reading about stem cell discoveries, but high-frequency reporting can make it challenging to identify truly significant breakthroughs, such as the one from last week: “Japanese man is the first to receive ‘reprogrammed’ stem cells from another person.” The story, published in a prestigious…

Dr. Gilbert Bernier has a plan to cure blindness. His plan involves coaxing stem cells to become sheets of precious cone photoreceptors – the eye’s light-sensitive cells – and then transplanting them into blind eyes to restore vision. Dr. Bernier made headlines a few years ago with his tremendously important FFB-funded discovery that uncovered an…

At the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) we are motivated by a singular goal: develop new treatments for blindness and vision loss. This goal fuels all of the research that we fund. Today, we know more about blinding eye diseases than ever before. This knowledge is power because it shows us where to direct our resources…

At the beginning of 2016, I predicted CRISPR would be one of the key areas to follow throughout the year. I was right! This week delivered another CRISPR-fueled breakthrough that is making headlines. Scientists have created a new gene-editing tool that can be used in conjunction with CRISPR to edit adult cells in live animals…

Click here to download a printable version this article/fact sheet: PDF/Word What is the purpose of transplanting retinal cells? The goal of transplant therapies is to save and restore vision by replacing damaged cells in the retina with new, healthy cells. Currently researchers are working to find ways of replacing two different kinds of cells:…

The race to develop a sight-restorative stem cell therapy is speeding up in Canada, thanks to a team of scientists and clinicians led by Dr. Valerie Wallace at the University Health Network in Toronto. Dr. Wallace was recently awarded a prestigious Accelerator Fund from the Ontario Institute of Regenerative Medicine (OIRM) for her project Overcoming…

It is notoriously difficult to predict the next big scientific discovery… but, it’s fun to try! Here are some of the research areas that we will be watching very closely over the coming year. CRISPR Everyone is talking about the new gene-editing tool: CRISPR. Once an obscure laboratory tool, CRISPR became a media sensation last…